Browsing Articles

UK Anime fans looking for a convention in November 2018 will be interested in Hibanacon in Milton Keynes. Set to run from Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th November 2018 the convention returns with fan favourites including panels, games, live acts, cosplay and as every fan run convention demands parties (including a cosplay ball)!

The good folks from Funimation Entertainment have sent us details of their up coming release of My Hero Academia Season 2 - Part 1. The fan favourite is due out on DVD and blu-ray on Monday 2nd April 2018.

Netflix have just announced that they'll be showing A Silent Voice. The emotional roller-coaster of a movie adapted from the manga by Yoshitoki Oima it tells the tale of Shoya a boy who bullied Shoko a new deaf girl in his class. As the story unfolds, Shoya realises the error of his ways and seeks out Shoko to apologise and redeem himself a few years later.

Anime fans in the UK looking to get some cinematic anime action will want to keep Wednesday 21st March 2018 free. For one day there'll be a special screening of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I - Initiation.

The film forms a retelling of the series opening acts and it a great way to get into the series or remind yourself of the series. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I - Initiation is the first part of a planned trilogy.

Attack On Titan: The Roar of Awakening hits cinemas in the UK and Ireland on Wednesday 21st February 2018. To celebrate we've teams up with the good folks at Anime Limited to give away some snazzy attire. We've got a limited edition Attack on Titan cape to give away. You too can pretend to be in the Survey Corps and explore the area beyond wall. We tried to get some 3D Manoeuvring Gear, but Anime Limited were insistent that giving away something that fires a spike attached to a cable wasn't exactly safe.

The good folks from UK anime company Anime Limited have just revealed that they will be bringing Mirai to UK Cinemas during 2018. Mirai is the latest film from Mamoru Hosoda the director behind The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, along with The Boy and the Beast. The film has yet to be released in Japan. It's early days yet and all the details still need to be confirmed, but Anime Limited intend to release it in UK cinemas sometime during the final quarter of 2018.

We first mentioned the film in May 2017 when the details around the film were first announced.

Mamoru Hosoda are much loved by anime fans. With his productions being of consistently high quality in terms of animation and storytelling. It's probably safe to say, if Mirai is going to be anything like his other features, it's going to be good!

The good folks from Manga Entertainment UK have sent us details of their latest acquisition. BLAME! the CG animated film based on the popular manga of the same name. Originally released as a Netflix exclusive the movie will hit DVD and Blu-ray on Monday 28th May 2018. Manga UK will be partnering with Dybex to distribute the film in the UK, Ireland, France and Benelux.

UK Anime fans looking to watch something on the big screen this February will want to find a cinema near them screening Attack On Titan: The Roar of Awakening. The film which is a recap of season 2 will be screened around the UK and Ireland on Wednesday 21st February 2018. The film hits cinemas thanks to the good folks at Anime Limited. To find a screening near you visit Anime Limited's Cinema Screening page.

The film itself is really intended for fans of Attack on Titan as it's a big screen directors cut of season 2 of the show. It's not a stand alone movie. It's great if you've seen season one and want to see the best bits of season 2 or if you just want to enjoy some Titan action on the big screen.

If you can't catch the film on the big screen, you can always get the Blu-ray or DVD of season 2 on Monday 26th February 2018.

Glasgow based anime fans looking for a premiere film screening will want to go to the Glasgow Film Festival on Sunday 4th March 2018 to catch Maquia: When The Promised Flower Blooms. This is the International Premiere. It'll be coming to cinemas nationwide in March 2018 thanks to the good folks at Anime Limited.

The fantasy anime marks Mari Okada’s directorial debut you may be familiar with her other work she wrote The Anthem of the Heart and the screenplay for Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea. The Anime is produced by P.A. Works who created one of the Otaku News Team's favourite anime series The Eccentric Family.

UK Anime fans eagerly awaiting to get their hands on the home video release of Attack on Titan Season 2 won't have to wait much longer. The good folks at Funimation Entertainment have sent us details for the UK release on DVD and blu-ray. The hugely popular series will hit UK shelves on Monday 26th February 2018.

The DVD and blu-ray releases are packed with extras including episode commentaries, interviews with original creator Hajime Isayama, plus interviews with staff at Anime Expo 2017.

If you think your collection of anime merchandise is big then you might want to think again. Is it big enough to get a Guinness World Record? We've just heard from Sofia Pichihua a keen CardCaptor Sakura fan from Peru, who has the world's largest collection of CardCaptor Sakura merchandise with 1,086 items. Sofia writes for the Otaku Press blog (that's a name we like).

UK Anime fans looking to get into the latest anime from Kyo Ani, the studio behind A Silent Voice and K-On will want to get onto Netflix from Thursday 11th January 2018 as the streaming service will be showing a new series Violet Evergarden. The fantasy series follows the story of Violet Evergarden, known as "the weapon" she's recovering from the recent war and has to find her place in the new post war world. It's based on a series of light novels written by Kana Akatsuki.

The production values are lavish. The first episode was like watching a feature film. We've also heard it described as opulent and wouldn't disagree with this description. It's like someone has just given Kyo Ani a truck full of money and said "Take this huge truck full of money and use it to make anime". Although this is the first episode, we'll be very curious to see if the production values remain throughout.

With such a wide variety of Eva themed goods, the merchandise department khara must be looking for something a bit different to sell. So a tie in with character-based jewellery firm U-TREASURE seems like a good choice. They'll be releasing a "ring watch". It's a ring with a watch face on the setting. There's lot of interesting details such as the bezel featuring the Eva Pilot's synchro rates, and the jewel matching the patterns of the AT Field. What strikes us is the choice for the base of the ring. They've decided to use the pilots torso as the base, yes, you've read that right. Not their face, or some sort of montage, or some other Eva iconography like the Lance of Longinus or some nifty design featuring the angels or something along those lines, but a ring with the torsos of the pilots in their plug suits.

You can chose between two designs one with a red jewel, with Rei's torso in her 00 suit and 09 suit, or another design with a blue jewel featuring Shinji and Kaworu.

The ring watch will retail for ¥53,000 JPY which is about $468 USD / €394 EUR / £350 GBP (at the time of publishing). Both designs will be limited to 100 units each with serial numbers.

Pre-orders open from 10:00 am (JST) on December 22, 2017
Pre-orders period ends at 11:59 pm (JST) on January 31, 2018

Remember, remember the 15th of November,
Anime screening with a plot.
We see no reason
Why anime screenings
Should ever be forgot!

Anime fans in the UK should be reminded that Fireworks hits the cinemas with a bang (pun intended), on Wednesday 15th November 2017 for special one day screening. You can visit FireworksMovie.co.uk to find a screening near you.

UK anime fans eager to own Studio Ghibli's TV show Ronja The Robber's Daughter, will be pleased to hear that it's getting a home video release on Monday 4th December 2017. It's available for pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD from the good folks at Studio Canal.

London based fans with children can also visit the BFI on Sunday 19th November 2017 for a special screening event showing the first 4 episodes of the series. Tickets for this event are selling out quickly, so book while you can if you want to go.

We sent James and Lee to review the movie. Our editor found them after the screening rocking back and forth in the corner of the room, muttering about perception of reality and something about an unreliable narrator, he didn't care that this movie freaked them both out, he just wanted his 500 word review. So after some special counselling involving a unicorn chaser of both seasons of K-On (plus the movie) we managed to get a coherent review. Although they are still on edge a bit when they see J-Pop Idols for some reason...

UK Anime fans looking for a cinematic treat in November will be pleased to hear about Anime Limited's latest offering of Fireworks. Pitched as a coming of age story with a hint of sci-fi from the director of Nisekoi and Monogatari. It hits cinemas around the UK on Wednesday 15th November 2017.

UK anime fans keen to get their own copy of the smash hit anime Your Name will want to set the date of Monday 6th November 2017 for the DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray Steelbook and Thursday 23rd November 2017 for the Deluxe Edition exclusively to Anime Ltd and Zavvi.

We've teamed up with the good folks from Anime Limited to give one lucky reader a copy of the film on DVD.

Series director Yoh Yoshinari, series producer Naoko Tsutsumi, producer Katsuhiro Takei and video game producer Yosuke Futami will all be at the MCM London Comic on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th of October 2017.

The MCM London Comic Con is set to run from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th October 2017.

Volume 5 of popular anime RWBY by Rooster Teeth debuts on 14th October 2017 on Rooster Teeth First. We plan to catch up with our friends at Rooster Teeth this weekend to learn more about the series at RTX London, however click below for a glimpse of what to expect from the new series.

UK anime fans will be pleased to hear that the clever folks at Anime Limited have realised that Perfect Blue would make the perfect Halloween night screening. The psychological thriller doesn't just mess with the protagonist, it also messes with your mind in the late great Satoshi Kon's debut film.

The film will screen (and make you scream) for one night only, the night of Halloween on Tuesday 31st October 2017. To find a screening near you visit perfectbluemovie.co.uk.

Traditionally at Christmas time at Otaku News we watch another Satoshi Kon film Tokyo Godfathers to get into the Christmas Spirit. We hope this becomes some kind of Halloween tradition from Anime Limited.

Are you an aspiring manga artist? Do you want to get the attention of the manga industry? Well the Silent Manga Audition are running another manga competition. The clever twist is that you're not allowed to use dialogue, hence Silent Manga, this is clever as it makes it more international.

Cult anime director Masaaki Yuasa was in the UK recently, being eager to quiz him about his two upcoming films Night is Short, Walk On Girl which hits cinemas on 4th October 2017 (visit the official website to find a screening near you) and Lu Over the Wall on 6th December 2017.

Rather than just send anyone to interview this great director, we wanted to send someone we knew who is one of Masaaki Yuasa biggest fans. So we sent Katy.

Plus a special bundle from Anime Limited's web shop that includes 2 A3 posters (which will be sent in a poster tube so there won't be any folds).

All the editions will hit the shelves on Monday 30th October 2017. If you want to watch it now, you can buy or rent it from Amazon Video.

In Tuesday 14th November 2017 manga publishers Kodansha Comics will be releasing A Silent Voice as a complete Manga Box Set. So you can read all 1,344 pages of it across all 7 volumes from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

We've just been sent details about Lu over the Wall from the good folks at Anime Limited. The new movie from director Masaaki Yuasa features a heartwarming and magical mermaid tale.

The film will be at the BFI London Film Festival Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th October 2017. You can read more about it on the BFI LFF Website. Tickets will be on sale from Monday 14th September 2017. We advise booking early to avoid disappointment.

The film will be shown nationwide around the UK on Wednesday 6th December 2017.

Masaaki Yuasa's trade mark style includes quick fire dialogue, eccentric and eclectic mix of style story and animation. You may have seen his work before on the cult The Tatami Galaxy.

Anime fans looking for a fan run convention in the UK for the summer of 2018 will be excited to hear that AmeCon have announced that they will return on Friday 27th until Sunday 29th July 2018 at the Warwick Arts Centre. The venue has proved a popular location for AyaCon, AmeCon and KitaCon. Registration will be £50 or £95 for premium for the whole weekend. Registration will open on Monday 16 October 2017. Special guest is American Voice Actor Jerry Jewell.

The event has just been announced as the closing ceremony of KitaCon 2017.

As I leave Cineworld Leicester Square, trying to pull together the memories of what I had just watched, I smile and sense a melancholic joy well up inside of me. Watching Your Name reminded me of all the subconscious thoughts, moments and dreams we might have all forgotten through the motions of everyday life, an inevitable cycle of the human mind... and yet there I was, trying not to let go of what I had just seen, trying to fathom the beauty of the film’s meaning and put it into words. Makoto Shinkai had done it again!

But I'm not here to review the film today (you can read our earlier, spoiler-free review here). Instead, I'm here to talk about the experience of watching the world’s first anime to be released in IMAX format!

Napping Princess hits the UK Cinemas on Wednesday 16th August 2017. You can find a screening near you by visiting NappingPrincessMovie.co.uk. It's being distributed by good folks at Anime Limited. We sent Otaku News contributor James off to a sneak peak of the film.

James is a full-time cynical geek who's probably getting too old for all this. Although he hates to admit it, the reason he's still watching anime after all these years is because some of it is actually pretty good.

To be honest this movie is amazing. There's no dialogue, so you won't need to watch it subbed or dubbed. It's very intelligent, it's well animated, it doesn't talk down to you. Given the choice you can watch a few episodes of a long running shonen series or you can spend the time watching something that'll get you thinking.

There subtle things in this film, although there's no real dialogue apart from the occasional grunt, moan or the main character going "heeeeeeeeeeeeey", the attention to detail is stunning. They decided to record the sound of the characters breathing to make it feel more real. Repeat viewings will make you notice details you didn't spot first time around.

We've just heard from the good folks at StudioCanal that Mamoru Hosoda's The Boy and The Beast will finally be heading to DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on Monday 4th September 2017. The movie follows the adventures of Kyuta an abandoned boy who stumbles into the mythical world of beasts where he meets Kumatetsu the brash warrior. Kumatetsu takes Kyuta under his wing (shouldn't that be paw?) and adventure ensues.

There's some good stuff coming up for the end of the year. They've got a great Hosoda Collection in which the works of excellent director Mamoru Hosoda get's a premium release. They'll be releasing The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Wolf Children and Summer Wars as blu-ray separate sets with various extras deluxe packaging and companion books all bundled in. It's due to hit the shops at the beginning of November 2017 and each box costs about £30. They've yet to release any examples of the box art and packaging (although it's early days yet).

They'll be showing Anime Limited titles Cowboy Bebop, Tokyo Ghoul and Eureka Seven, along with MVM Entertainment licensed Samurai Champloo. The block will show anime from midnight. So set your Sky+ Box to record it if you're not a night owl. They'll start airing anime from Monday 17th July.

In This Corner of the World wins the Feature Film Jury Award at the 41st Annecy

The good folks from Manga Entertainment UK have sent us details about one of their latest titles. The feature film In This Corner of the World has won the Feature Film Jury Award at the 41st Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

Recently Manga Entertainment UK sent us details announcing that the film was going to compete at the Annecy. Now they're please to announce that it's won one of the coveted awards. The film first caught our interested when we heard it was directed by Sunao Katabuchi who also directed the excellent Mai Mai Miracle.

The film opens in the UK on Wednesday 28th June 2017. If you want watch to catch the movie yourself, you can visit www.inthiscornerfilm.co.uk to find a screening near you.

UK based anime fans who missed the super smash hit movie Your Name will want to set a date of Wednesday 23rd August 2017 to catch the movie on the big screen. This time we mean really BIG screen, as they'll be IMAX Screenings of the feature film too.

The Makoto Shinkai movie won critics praise around the world and become a surprise box office smash in Japan and beyond. The IMAX screenings will be in Japanese with subtitles, as currently that's the only version that exists in the colossal IMAX format, while regular sized cinemas will be showing a mix of screenings dubbed into English and in Japanese with English subtitles. We urge you to watch this movie on a cinema screen while you can. It was the anime movie of 2016 and should be seen on a cinema screen to do it justice. An IMAX screening is incredibility rare for an anime title, so if you can catch it there, it's an insanely rare treat. As always we advise you book early for these screenings to avoid disappointment. We also suspect those who have caught it before at the cinema will want to catch it again while they can.

The movie is not out on DVD or blu-ray in the UK yet. As we've mentioned before distributors Anime Limited have set the provisional release date for Monday 30th October 2017. They do however state that this date is likely to change and hopefully they'll be able to release it earlier.

Anime Limited have confirmed at this time they are uncertain if there will be an Ultimate Edition. All editions will contain the movie dubbed in English and in Japanese with subtitles. They've yet to clarify the contents of each edition as it's still early days yet.

Are you looking for an anime convention to go to in the UK in November? The folks behind Hibanacon 2017 have got in touch to tell us about their up-coming convention in Milton Keynes. The new convention is set to run from Friday 10th to Sunday 12th November 2017 at Jury's Inn Milton Keynes.

This new convention is intended for up to ​350 ​people and includes everything you'd expect at a fan run anime convention, including panels, workshops, screenings, a dealers room, a games room and of course, cosplay!

In a change of production the much loved Studio Ghibli decided to look overseas for a director to create their latest film - The Red Turtle. They teamed up with Oscar winning director Michaël Dudok de Wit who wrote and directed the animated feature. We caught up with him for an exclusive interview to talk about the film, which hits UK cinema screens from Friday 26th May 2017.

In an interesting move from Studio Ghibli, rather than look just in Japan for the talent to direct a new animated movie the fabled studio looked around the world to find someone suitable. They found Michaël Dudok de Wit. The movie they made together was The Red Turtle.

The good folks from Anime Limited have sent us details of a special screening of A Silent Voice which will be for heard of hearing at select Showcase Cinemas. We're told that this is one of the first anime films to do so in cinema.

As the film is about a deaf girl it's appropriate that the title gets a hard of hearing screening.

If you're in London and looking for some Japanese Culture on from Friday 14th to Sunday 16th July 2017 you should head over to Hyper Japan to indulge yourself in the festival. It's got something for everyone, street food, cosplay, chiptunes and traditional Japanese crafts. The event will be at The Tobacco Dock,

It's May, which means we'll be talking about the MCM London Comic Con a lot this month as build up for the colossal event starts. They've just revealed the two special guests that will be of interest to anime fans anime director Tatsuma Minamikawa and anime producer Yohei Ito.

Tatsuma Minamikawa is the director of the new Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry movie, while Yohei Ito has worked associate producer for Attack on Titan Season 1 and 2.

The MCM London Comic Con is set to run at the Excel Centre from Friday 26th to 28th May 2017.

Personally we're very keen on One Punch Man which is due out on 3rd July (it might be because our editor can convincingly cosplay as Saitama). We're also keen on fan favourite Himouto! Umaru-chan which is due out on 10th July.

The good folks from Manga Entertainment UK have just sent us details about their feature film In This Corner Of The World, which is set to appear in competition at the prestigious Annecy Festival in June.

UK readers will be also keen to hear Manga Entertainment will be releasing the film in cinemas around the UK and Ireland from Wednesday 28th June 2017. You can find a screening near you by visiting www.inthiscornerfilm.co.uk.

We're massive fans of the directors other feature film Mai Mai Miracle so are very excited about this release.

The new Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale movie has just hit UK cinemas. You can catch a screening near you by visiting http://saothemovie.co.uk/. To celebrate the launch we've teamed up with the good folks from Anime Limited to give you a chance to win Sword Art Online II Collector's Edition Complete Box set plus extra Sword Art Online goodies!

You can also read our review of the movie. (To long? Didn't read? If you like the series go out and watch it. You won't regret it. It's good!).

UK based readers will want to head to a cinema near from tomorrow (Wednesday 19th April 2017) to catch the Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale. The new movie follows the adventures of Kirito and Asuna as they face a challenge from a new augmented reality device the Augma. You can find a screening near you by visiting http://saothemovie.co.uk/. You can also read our review of the SAO Movie.

The series has proved very popular with fans (and rightly so), it's one of those titles that we like to file under guilty pleasures. It's well executed and enjoyable to watch.

Visitors will be treated to the background artwork from classic sci-fi anime feature films including Ghost in the Shell (1995), The Patlabor: The Movie (1989) and Metropolis (2001), by Mamoru Oshii and Atsushi Takeuchi.

House of Illustration is the UK’s only public gallery and education space dedicated solely to illustration so is the ideal place to run an event on anime artwork. It's located a short walk from Kings Cross and St Pancras Stations. The exhibition is set to run from 26th May to 10th September 2017. It's closed on Mondays. There is an £8.25 admission charge, this will give you access to all 3 galleries.